Electric shaver case having concealed clamping means



Nov. 3, 1959 H- s. KACHLINE ELECTRIC SHAVER CASE HAVING CONCEALED CLAMPING MEANS Filed Oct. 4. 1957 INVENTOR 649F042: 5'. Know lNE ATTORNEYS United States Patent ELECTRIC SHAVER CASE HAVING CONCEALED CLAMPING MEANS Harold S. Kachline, Lancaster, Pa., assignor to Schick Incorporated, Lancaster, Pa., a corporation of Delaware Application October 4, 1957, Serial No. 688,276

Claims. c1. 30 43) This invention relates to electric shavers of the familiar kind including a motor housing comprising abutting case halves usually made of molded plastic material and supporting a shearing head at one end.

Heretofore the common practice has been to mold the case halves so that when put together they form an open-ended channel at one end, consisting of a seat and side walls, to receive the shearing head and to secure the halves together by means of screws having their heads exposed at the outer side face of one of the case halves and their inner ends engaged with threaded inserts in the inner face of the other case half.

In one aspect, the present invention provides means for securing the head end of the case halves together without resort to any exposed screws and hence without marring the design or outward appearance of the shaver and, at the same time, eliminating the need for the threaded inserts in one of the case halves.

In another aspect, the invention eliminates the need for the molding of the head channel side walls as part of the case halves.

Other advantages of the invention will be apparent from the description of the accompanying drawings, of which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of an electric shaver incorporating the preferred form of the invention;

Fig. 2 is an exploded perspective view on an enlarged scale showing the head-end case components of this preferred form; and

Fig. 3 is a transverse section of the head end of the shaver, including its shearing head.

As will be recognized, the illustrated shaver includes a motor housing which comprises case halves 1, 2 supporting at the upper or head end a shearing head unit consisting, in this instance, of two individual heads 3, 4 with a spacer bar 5 between them. At the ends of the head unit are suitable mounted receptacles 6 to re ceive the beard clippings. Neither the receptacles nor their manner of mounting form any part of the present invention and no further reference to them will be made.

In general, the head ends of the case halves are secured together by means of a clamping plate which engages an outer face of one case half and has on its inner side at least one arm or lug which projects through an opening in that case half and is interlocked, as by a screw in the head seat, with the other case half. However, in the illustrated form of the invention and as is preferred. The interlocking is effected by means of two such clamping plates 10, 11, each having two inwardly projecting arms 12, 13 and 14, 15. These plates may be formed as die castings, stampings or the like and, as will be apparent, their outer faces may be so designed or ornamented as to enhance the appearance of the shaver.

With the present invention the case halves may be molded to form a flat upstanding head seat 20, 21 which is open at the ends and sides, that is, devoid of the usual head-confining side walls or flanges. The halves are also formed with pairs of aligned openings 25, 26 and 27, 28 extending transversely of the plane of abutment of the case halves to receive the spaced arms of the clamping plates. The openings and arms are shown disposed one on each side of the central longitudinal axis of the case so as to avoid interference with the cutter actuator (not shown) which usually projects through a centrally located opening in the head seat, such as the opening 29.

The two plates are of identical construction, with'corresponding arms of each of them stepped, as at 30, so that the apertured inner ends of the pairs of arms are free to overlap. Removable means are provided for interlocking these overlapped ends of the plate arms, such as the screws 31, 32, which are threaded into the lower arms of the pairs. The case halves are recessed, asat 33, 34, 35, 36 to pass and. afford access to the screws. By thus locating the interlocking means in the head seat the screws or the like are fully concealed but are readily accessible when the head is removed. In this preferred form of the invention the clamping plates serve also to form the side walls of the head channel. As shown, the upper portions of the plates extend upwardly alongside and above the head seat (Fig. 3) and confine the head against movement laterally of its seat.

In order to achieve a more effective clamping action, the centers of the screw holes 40, 41, 42, 43 in the overlapped ends of the arms may be slightly off-set. For example, looking at Fig. 2, the countersunk hole in upper arm 14 may be centered slightly to the right and the hole in the lower arm 12 slightly to the left of the casesplit 40, so that when the tapered head screws 31, 32 are inserted and tightened the plate arms will be under a degree of tension which will hold the plates firmly against the head seat side faces 41, 42. The overlapped arms thus constitute tension means extending between the two plates; and, by drawing the clamping plates together as the screws are tightened, such means serve to ensure that the case halves are themselves brought into close engagement.

The manner of holding the head in place forms no part of the present invention but, for purposes of illustration only, it is shown as being effected by a set screw 45 passing through one of the clamping plates.

In the light of the foregoing description of the preferred form of the invention, the following is claimed:

1. An electric shaver of the kind including a motor housing comprising abutting case halves including at one end a shearing head seat, characterized by: each case half having a pair of openings extending through said one end thereof transversely of the plane of abutment of the halves, the openings in one half aligned with the openings in the other half, two clamping plates each engaging the outer side of a case half and with portions of the plates extending upwardly alongside and above the seat to form the side walls of a shearing head channel, each clamping plate having a pair of arms projecting through the openings of its case half, the inner ends of the arms of one clamping plate overlapping the inner ends of the arms of the other clamping plate and removable means interlocking the said overlapped arm ends and thereby securing the case halves and channel side walls against separation.

2. An electric shaver of the kind including a motor housing comprising abutting case halves, characterized by: each case half having a pair of openings extending through one end thereof transversely of the plane of abutment of the halves, the openings in one half aligned with the openings in the other half, two clamping plates each engaging the outer side of a case half and each having a pair of arms projecting through the openings of its case half, the inner ends of the arms of one clamping plate overlapping the inner ends of the arms of the otherclamping plate and removable means interlocking the said overlapped ends.

3. An electric shaver of the kind including a motor housing comprising abutting case halves, including at one end a seat and having a shearing head removably mounted thereon, characterized by: one case half having a pair of openings extending through said one end thereof transversely of the plane of abutment of the halves, a clamping plate engaging the outer side of said one case half and having arms projecting through the said openings in its case half and means interlocking the inner ends of said arms with the other case half including removable locking elements located in the said seat beneath the shearing head.

4. An electric shaver of the kind including a motor housing comprising abutting case halves including at one end a seat and having a shearing head mounted thereon, characterized by: one case half having an opening extending through said one end thereof transversely of the plane of abutment of the halves, a clamping plate engaging the outer side of said one case half and having an arm projecting through the said opening in its case half, said clamping plate extending upwardly alongside and above said seat to form a side wall therefor and means interlocking the inner end of said arm with the other case half.

5. An electric shaver of the kind including a motor housing comprising abutting case halves, characterized by: one case half having an opening extending through one end thereof transversely of the plane of abutment of the halves, a clamping plate engaging the outerside of said one case half and having an arm projecting through the said opening in its case half and means interlocking the inner end of said arm with the other case half and thereby holding said case halves against separation.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,201,350 Scruggs May 21, 1940 2,290,326 Hanley July 21, 1942 2,304,909 Hanley Dec. 15, 1942 2,530,302 Jepson Nov. 14, 1950 2,530,759 Collins et a1 Nov. 21, 1950 

